Horse-boot



m l mem mwf, Inventor.

S. S. GREEN. HORSE BOOT.

Patented Apr. 16, 1895.

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,SWW

i By (No Model.)

Witnesses. i

STATES HORSE-BOOT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 537,607, dated April163, 189 5. Application filed Tune 9.7, 1894. Serial No. 515,834. (Nomodel.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, STEPHEN S. GREEN, a citizen of the United States,residing in Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in InterferingLBoots forTrotting-Horses, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a suitable means for preventingan interfering horse from injuring itself while traveling; and theinvention consists in a new and improved interfering pneumatic boot,adapted to be attached to such portions of the legs of a horse asarelikely to interfere and be hurt, as the inner side of the kneeswhiletrotting or, otherwise going at a high rate of speed, and the inventionwill be fully and clearly hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, in

. which- Figure l, represents va perspective view of a horse, showingvmy improved device as adapted for protecting the inner sides of theknees of a horse and illustrating how it is attached to a horse for thatpurpose. Fig. 2, represents a front view of the boot opened out. Fig. 3,is a vertical section, cutting in or about line a a, Fig. 2, showing theinterior construction of the device. Figt, is an inside view, showingthe position of the parts when brought together and buckled.

Referring to the drawings in detail, l represents the body of the boot.It is provided with two side extension portions or flaps, 2 and 2, Oneportion 2a, for instance, is provided with buckles 3, and the oppositeportion is provided with a corresponding number of straps, 4, adapted toconnect in the usual way with the buckles when securing the boot to ahorse.

The outside of the body of the boot is preferably covered with leather(see Fig. 3,) and the inside with a thick woolen felt 6, but anysuitable soft or yielding material may be used, the whole being securedtogether by sewing or stitching in the ordinary way.

At the lower portion of the boot is a convex pad '7, made preferably ofstiff leather. On the opposite or inner side is a covering of softiexible leather 8, secured thereto only at its edges and within orbetween the two is an two thicknesses of the body of the boot.

`l2, see Fig. 3, where this is shown.

india rubber bag 9, see Fig. 3, where this is shown in section. It isprovided with a soft rubber tube lO, which extends up between the Theobjectof the tube l0, is to provide a suitable means for inating therubber bag or pad, af-

ter which it is tied by a string or piece of tape Another object of thetube being located as it is between the cover 5 and the felt lining G,is to render that portion of 'the device still more elasticorcompressible than it would be withoutthe tube, so that a blow upon itby the foot of the animal will not be communicated to the flesh underthe lining.

The rubber bag I9, is of the required form adapting it to fit nicelywithin its leather covering. When inflated it forms a much better padthan an ordinary cushion padbecause it adapts itself to all theinequalities of the form against which it is fitted and consequentlytits more easily; furthermore a blow on any part of the stiff leatherpad is equally distributed all over instead of at one point immediatelybelow the concussion, as it would be with an ordinary cushion.

Still another advantage over the ordinary form of boot is that it avoidsthe objection to the ordinary boot which is occasioned by the lining ofthe boot becoming wet and foul as soon as it has been worn once or twicewhich will cause it to become as dry'and hard as the exterior andthereby render it as objectionable as would be a boot without any liningat all; but by the interposition of the pneumatic bag between theexterior and the interior, the interior can never become so dry and hardas to hurt the fiesh of the animal wearing it. It has also been found byexperiment that the addition of the air-cushion renders the exteriorless liable to injury by the blow and forward movement of the animalsfoot in traveliug, whereas, without such a cushion the exterior or coverof the pad is soon cut and torn to pieces by the blows from the hoof andthe nails and iron of the shoe. The addition of the air also preventsthe contact of the foot with the pad from slackening the speed of theanimal as the air is compressed which permits the exterior to give tothe hoof of the foot and also permits the cover to go forward with thefoot to a limited extent by twisting ICO slightly around the leg whichcannot be done with the ordinary pad.

As some horses travel much closer than others, it is necessary that thedistance of the eX- terior or cover from the animals leg be regulatedaccordingly, which can be done by means of the air-cushon,but which isimpossible with the ordinary pad, as all that is necessary with theair-cushion is to fill it with a greater or less amount of air, and ifthe amount is not graduated correctly at first it can be readily changedby intl-ating the bag or by letting out some of the air. As this changecan be effected very quickly and easily by loosening the end of the tubewhich is used for filling the cushion, its importance becomes apparent,as it frequently happens that such a change must be made just beforethehorse entersa race, at which time everything is in ahurry and excitementand it would be impossible to stop to make elaborate preparation for therace.

At the lower end of the pad 7, is a loop 12a, through which is passedand secured in any Well knownway, a strap of some soft leather and onone end is a buckle 13 and a strap of leather 14 at the opposite end.The object` of this construction is to provide the means for fasteningthe device above and below the joint when used to protect the knees of ahorse, asaboveset forth.

The invention is adapted to protect the portion ot' the limbs of a horsethat is liable to be injured by interfering while going at a fast rateof speed.

The boot is secured to the animal, substantially as shown in Fig. l, thepad being iniiated with air, and-then applied to the parts liable to beexposed to an interference with Yeach other, and secured above and belowby a suitable fastening device.

I claim as my invention- An interfering boot for horses, consisting of abody portion-provided with side-aps for securing itto the leg of theanimal, a cushion upon the interior of the body, a substantially rigidconvex exterior or cover secured to the lower edge of the body, aiiexible interior se cured onlyat its edges totheedgesof the ext rior,and a pneumatic bag betweenthe exterior and the interior, and atubecommunieating therewith and extending up between the body and thecushion secured to the inside thereof, whereby the tube serves toinflate the bag and also to render the cushion and body more elastic,substantially as set forth.

STEPHEN S. GREEN.

Witnesses:

,TA-Mns `SANGSTE R, ARTHUR J. SANGSTER.

